Take It To Heart
by Mistress-Ryoko
Summary: Songfic. One shot deal. The household decides to enjoy a little kareoke after dinner.


Disclaimer: TM! is the sole property of Pioneer, AIC and it's subsidiaries. I don't own it, just borrowing it. I'm as poor as poor can be. Also, 'Take it to heart' is owned by Michael McDonald, Diane Warren and Rhino Records and their affiliates. I don't own this either (although I wish I came up with it first...Damn it!)  
  
Author's Note: Thought I'd take a break from my fanfic "Of Dreams and Reality" for a short time to write this songfic. I remember this song from when I was younger and I love it, so I thought I'd use it. Don't worry, I'm still working on my fanfic, I never abandon my work.  
  
So without delay, here we go...  
  
'Take it to heart'-by Diane Warren and Michael McDonald  
  
Songfic by Mistress-Ryoko  
  
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Dusk; a beautiful time of day when the sun seemed to bleed across the partly cloudy sky, casting a fiery glow upon the landscape. Tenchi stood at the top of the hill, amazed at the work of art that only mother nature could create. He remembered the stories his father told him: how his mother would come out here just to watch the sun set, awing at the magnificent colors it would create, how Noboyuki would silently creep up on her with his camcorder, wanting so much to preserve the memory of her just standing there, admiring her surroundings as if no one else in the world existed.   
  
Oh how much Tenchi missed her, and yet he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger at her for having left him. It seemed that every woman that he had loved in his life was destined to leave him, without any explanation as to why. First his mother, then his grandmother. It hurt more than words could say.   
  
"I miss you, Mom...I love you." he said with a sigh, to nobody in particular.  
  
Tenchi took no notice of the ex-pirate hovering just a few centimeters behind him, watching him with worried eyes. Ryoko had been sent by Sasami to fetch Tenchi for dinner, only to find him in the same spot he had been visiting for the past five days. And she knew why.  
  
Ryoko had asked Tenchi just yesterday why he had been going there, and he had told her that it was his mother's special place. 'It held  
  
so much magic for her' Tenchi would say, a distant look in his eyes.  
  
She knew by the way he spoke of her that no woman would ever compare to Achika when it came to his heart. Because of that deep love, Ryoko had determined that Tenchi had closed himself off, afraid to love anyone for fear that his heart wouldn't be able to handle that kind of loss again.  
  
Tenchi didn't so much as flinch when Ryoko carefully placed her hand on his shoulder, which caught the cyan-haired vixen by surprise.  
  
"Hi, Ryoko." he stated softly, grabbing her hand in a gentle squeeze, still not tearing his eyes off of the spectacle before him.  
  
"How did you know it was me?"  
  
"I can always tell when it's you. The sound you make when you phase in and out always gives it away."  
  
Ryoko bowed her head in acknowledgement, having observed how his hearing had improved these past few months, courtesy of his grandfather's training.   
  
They both stood silently for what felt like hours; Tenchi watching the sky turn from bright red to a glowing light blue, and Ryoko quietly thinking to herself. How she wanted to just tell him how she felt, hoping against hope that he would finally see her and the love she had for him. Maybe that would make him see that this silent brooding wasn't doing him any good.  
  
"Ryoko..."  
  
The ex-pirate snapped out of her self-induced trance as she realized that Tenchi had been speaking to her. "Huh?"  
  
"I asked you if dinner was ready. Are you ok?" he asked, a look of concern on his face.  
  
"I'm fine. Let's go, or dinner will get cold, and you know how Sasami gets when we're not there." she replied, doing her best to act as if nothing were wrong.  
  
---------------  
  
Dinner went on, for the most part, without a hitch. That is except for Aeka's insistance that Ryoko keep her eyes on her dinner rather than Lord Tenchi.  
  
After the table had been cleared and the dishes taken care of, Mihoshi took it upon herself to pull the karaoke machine from its secluded spot in the corner.  
  
"Who's in the mood for a little karaoke!" the blond announced excitedly.  
  
"Sure, why not." Tenchi said, hoping that a little music would help alleviate the funk that he had put himself in.  
  
Within moments everyone in the house had gathered in the living room, ready to indulge in a little family entertainment. Aeka sat on the sofa right next to Tenchi as Katsuhito placed two tatami mats on the floor, more interested in being a bystander rather than an actual participant just as he imagined his son-in-law would. Sasami was the next to enter, carrying with her a large tray of snack foods for them to munch on. Behind her Nobuyuki entered as well, a bottle of high-priced sake in one hand and two saucers in the other.  
  
Mihoshi was the first to go, singing a very bad rendition of "Open Arms" by Journey. Ryoko, however, hadn't been paying much attention as she listlessly flipped through a stack of CD's. She was considering whether or not to tell Tenchi what she felt, both about her love for him and of her suspicions regarding his lack of interest in women.  
  
As Ryoko looked at the pile, a thought came to her. 'I hope this works.' she thought to herself as she phased from the room, only to reappear moments later with a jewel case in her hand.  
  
"Ok, who wants to go next?" the blond detective asked cheerfully.  
  
Before the eldest princess could open her mouth, Ryoko took the  
  
opportunity.  
  
"I'll go."  
  
"Miss Ryoko, I'm sure Lord Tenchi is not in the mood to hear your caterwauling, especially after he's just eaten. I know I don't." Aeka stated, rather unnerved at having her chance to sing Tenchi a love song cut short.  
  
Tenchi rolled his eyes back, not exactly looking forward to a fight to start this evening. He was rather surprised when he didn't hear Ryoko counter Aeka's remark, instead opening up the case she had in her hand.  
  
After the pirate put in the disk, she accepted the microphone from Mihoshi, who promptly sat down on the floor next to the sofa.  
  
"This song is dedicated to a very special person. Tenchi, this is for you."  
  
Aeka rolled her eyes back, annoyed that Ryoko had stolen her idea. Tenchi on the other hand simply put his face in his hands, remembering the last time she had sung a song to him.   
  
Slowly the music started as Ryoko stood very still, her head bowed as she waited for her cue. It wasn't long before she started singing, her expression as well as her voice full of emotion:  
  
/I know that you're afraid to love  
  
You've been hurt before/  
  
/Love broke your heart so you closed the door/  
  
Tenchi removed his hands from his face, amazed at how well she sang the words. He had heard this song some where, but where he wasn't exactly sure.  
  
/Now here I am outside your world,  
  
Wishin' you'd let me in/  
  
/Give me half a chance to prove you wrong  
  
Baby all your tears have come and gone  
  
Talkin' 'bout a brand new start/  
  
/Take it to heart, baby believe it  
  
This love is so strong that it won't let you go  
  
Baby hold on, you'll see just how good it's gonna be  
  
It's gonna be here as long as you need it  
  
Never take your world and tear it apart  
  
Take it to heart, baby.../  
  
Suddenly it dawned on him. It was the same song Ryoko had sang the night she had torn his mother's kimono, the same day he had told Ryoko he hated her. Tenchi felt that familiar twinge of guilt ride up from his gut, having remembered the hurt look she had on her face. He hadn't meant to say such a hurtful thing, but when he heard the fabric tear, he could have sworn that his own heart had been torn as well. After all, it was the only thing he had left of her.   
  
Ryoko noticed Tenchi's expression and slowly walked up to him, put her hand under his chin and continued to sing to him, ignoring the look of disgust on the eldest princess's face.  
  
/You're gonna have to trust someone  
  
It's a shame if you don't  
  
'Cause it ain't no life living all alone/  
  
When Ryoko was sure she had regained Tenchi's attention, she stepped back and continued, not missing a beat as the music played on.  
  
/Let me show you how to love again  
  
There's no broken heart that love won't mend  
  
Talkin' 'bout a brand new start/  
  
/Take it to heart, baby believe it  
  
Love is so strong, that it won't let you go  
  
Baby hold on, you'll see just how good it's gonna be  
  
Gonna be here, long as you need it  
  
Never take your world and blow it apart   
  
Take it to heart  
  
I just want to be the one that'll be there by your side  
  
So take this love of mine.../  
  
Tenchi had been listening to the words that Ryoko had been singing, finally realizing what she was trying to say. It wasn't a big secret that the once wanted fugitive had feelings for him, but the way she had gone about it made it seem like it was nothing more than an infatuation of sorts. But now that he listened carefully, he began to understand just how much more her feelings for him were.   
  
Furthermore, it seemed that she was also trying to tell him that he couldn't hide behind the fear anymore. He had to get on with his life, to start living it to the fullest. A limited existance was no existance at all. Even though he loved his mother, he couldn't use her death as an excuse to keep himself from getting hurt again.  
  
Tenchi watched with amazement as Ryoko continued the ballad, her voice hitting every note perfectly as she kept in time with the beat, her hand gently placed in the space between her breasts.   
  
/Take it to heart, baby believe it   
  
This love is so strong, that it won't let you go  
  
Baby hold on, you'll see just how good it's gonna be  
  
Gonna be here as long as you need it  
  
I'd never take your world and tear it apart  
  
Take it to heart  
  
Baby believe it, this love is so strong, love is so strong, baby.../  
  
A single tear escaped Tenchi's left eye as he watched and listened, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. It was then that he allowed himself to feel more than just mere friendship for Ryoko, understanding that she knew how he felt and wanting so much to share with him that she cared. It tugged at his soul, and he welcomed the feeling with warm acceptance.   
  
Ryoko noticed the lone teardrop streak down his cheek, and it almost caused her to lose her place. He finally understood, and it filled her with complete and utter joy.   
  
/Baby.../  
  
/Love is a second chance to find all that we lost  
  
love's always worth a try no matter what the cost  
  
I know you don't believe your tears have come and gone  
  
give me just half a chance and I will prove you wrong/  
  
After she was done, Tenchi got up from the sofa and approached her.   
  
"Thank you, Ryoko. That was beautiful." he said, his voice almost to the point of cracking as he put his arms around her. Around them the rest of the group clapped, giving Ryoko a standing ovation for her moving tribute; that is, all except Aeka.  
  
"I can't tell you how much that meant to me. You can sing to me whenever you want." he whispered into her ear, eliciting a quiet gasp  
  
from Ryoko.  
  
After the applause had died down, Aeka stood as well and walked toward the pair, her expression one of tamed fury.  
  
"Well now that you're finished, Miss Ryoko, I have something I would like to sing to Lord Tenchi." she stated flatly, motioning for Tenchi to take a seat on the sofa in front of her.  
  
As Aeka sang her own song of devotion, Tenchi held Ryoko's hand, if only for a moment. However, that simple gesture spoke volumes for the both of them. After that night, nothing would ever be the same between Ryoko and Tenchi. But that's another story....  
  
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Author's Note (again?): Ok, here it is. I know it's not very good, but I did put this together at 3:00 in the morning. MST it if you want, I don't mind, just e-mail me first. I'd kind of like to see BigKWell's USS Downwinder do an MST on it, but one can only dream. :)  
  
Anyway, as usual feedback is ALWAYS welcome.  
  
Mistress-Ryoko 


End file.
